Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-04-08
On the shore of the Pacific.

Oh the VI thc
THE following is part of a private letter.
written by Mrs. Wheeler, wife of REV. S. ii,
Wheeler former pastor of the Congrcga-
to Los Angeles, Cal, last fan for his health,
toy f request Of friends Of Mr. and Mrs . Wheel.
er in W aterbury.
Long BEACH, Cal, Mar. 12, 1887
Thursday was quite day for
the departure of Waterbury people from
Los Angeles. We left at $40 in the morning
ard in the afternoon Mr.. and Mrs. Curtis
Wells and Carl with Mrs. John Seabury
fitted away to Lugonia where the Hales
reside. After we left Los Angeles we pass
ed three stations and the fourth one about
20 miles from the city, is Long
Beach junction, where we leave the
steam cars which rush on to Wilmington
and San Pedro (the harbor for Los
Angeles while we enter car something
like street car drawn by dummy engine
and in few moments are at Long Beach,
three miles, perhaps, from the Junction.
1t is charming sea side resort with
about 100 cottages, very large hotel and
a magnificent beach for bathing, for miles
and miles. We had the key to Mr.. Mills
cottage and soon took possession. 1t is
such a pretty cottage, quite large, two
stories, all finished in two kinds of wood
no plaster whatever, large windows
command such lovely views-broad
veranda all around the house and bal
cony on top of. the veranda The first call
at our cottage, in about twenty
minutes after we entered, was from veg
etable Chnaman and my first purchase was
celery and radshes. The cottage IS all
furnished, so by night we were ready to
take our supper at home. How strange
to begin house keeping on the shores of
! thp papiHc Ocean a long long from
where | last had that pleasure. How
strangely we have been led, so differently
from what we planned when we left our
dear Waterbury home.
Later.-We have just had lunch and as |
sat at the dining table and looked out on
the ocean before me thought how much
| would give to place that picture before
your eyes. 1t is all so strange and unreal
to me yet. | can't get used to the roar of
the waves as they come rolling in to shore.
| The first night we were here | could not
sleep for the noise Of "the wild waves"
and what were they saying. They talked
to me much about the dear ones at home
and the strange feeling it gave me to feel
/ was as far from them as possible even to
the shores of the Pacific We are only a
few rods from the water.
Think of such weather in March as
this The day we came we opened the
doors and windows for fresh air but did
not build fire until dark, when we had
Just a little to take off the evening chill
from the ocean. 1t is perfectly charming
here and we are very contented and
happy housekeeping.
Mr.. Wheeler will go to the city to-mor-
row to drive back our pony and carriage
as Mr.. Mills says we must have it here.
There is no end to his kindness Then
we shall want to drive considerably. Such
a beach for driving on cannot be neglect
| ed for sewing or house work-for this is
one chance in life time to see and enjoy.
Ac lnnE nt1fn f ha ind hnf
as | write | can see the lofty range of the
Sierra Madre mountains gitterlng with
snow in the sunlight the lovely green
valley lies between and in a clear day we
see Los Angeles distinctly at night we
see plainly the electric lights. AS turn my
head and look out of the large double
windows at the left l can see San Pedro
and Wilmington, light house on the
point, as San Pedro is in a kind of bay
which makes a nice harbor for boats. I
can see three large masted vessels out at
sea and sunken vessel or the wreck of
one near San Pedro about five miles from
here, and then directly in front of us as
we look out to the ocean are the famous
Catalina Islands stretching out for miles
and miles like range OF mountains in
mid ocean, so billy and mountainous are
they. These islands'are about twenty miles
away and so beautiful in outline, that as
we look down at our left as we face the
ocean we see miles Of beach and the broad
|
known" There is no use in trying to
describe it to you, can't do the subject
justice.
took a walk to the end of the pier
and while stood there watching the great
waves roll in and break around me felt
like the merest atom in the universe,
strange feeling for one OF my avoirdupois
you will say. On our way to the beach
we passed a cottage which is inclosed
with hedge fence and such a profusion
of flowers, the greatest quantity of YER
benas in bloom, the grounds were gor-
geous and outside the side walk were trees
planted in regular distances and about
) each tree were great clumps of verbenas
all in bloom, spreading out so far that one
bunch met the next one and so on con-
tinous walk of flowers.
am much in hopes Mr.. Wheeler will
gain in health and strength here by the
! ocean. 1t is an entire change for him and
) it may prove beneficial we cannot tell
, until we give it a fair trial, which we are
, bound to do.